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UA Local 281 jobs in Chicago, IL
Hall: Chicago, IL · Fire Sprinkler Fitters
Direct-hire fire sprinkler fitters openings around Chicago, IL that a UA Local 281 member can work, with the local's published journeyman scale and apprentice steps below.
UA Local 281 pay scale
Journeyman base wage $60.00/hr ($94.35/hr total package with fringes) effective 4/19/25 — roughly $120,000 a year at full-time hours. Rates change each CBA cycle; confirm with the hall before relying on them.
UnverifiedCrowd-sourced figure — reported on a third-party site and not yet checked against the local's own wage sheet. Source: unionpayscales.com(opens in a new tab) — external resource: unionpayscales.com published wage sheet, opens in a new tab, effective Apr 19, 2025(opens in a new tab) — external resource: unionpayscales.com published wage sheet, effective Apr 19, 2025, opens in a new tab. High confidence (checked Oct 5, 2026). Reference data only — not a Gulfstream Strategic Placements offer, quote, or guarantee of pay. How we source this— How we collect wage references, opens an explanation panel
Local 281 apprentice pay scale
A Local 281 apprentice in Chicago, IL starts at roughly $27.00 an hour — about 45% of the $60.00 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $45.00 an hour by the fourth year and full scale on turning out. These are the standard percentage steps of scale, not a wage sheet Local 281 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| Period | Share of scale | Hourly | Annualized |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $27.00 / hour | $54,000 |
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $33.00 / hour | $66,000 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $39.00 / hour | $78,000 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $45.00 / hour | $90,000 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $51.00 / hour | $102,000 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $60.00 / hour | $120,000 |
Standard percentage steps applied to the journeyman rate effective 4/19/25 — some programs run four periods rather than five, and fringe contributions differ by period. Apprenticeship applications go through the local's JATC, not through Gulfstream. See national union wage research.